The Palestone Order
The Palestone Order is the chief knightly order of the Kingdom of the Torrentine, and are currently captained by Knight-Commander Edric Blackmont. They are the royal guard of House Dayne, and are known as pious and honourable knights. They are also responsible for overseeing the various trials and journeys a potential Sword of the Morning must undertake, however, the Sword of the Morning is not forced to join their ranks if he does not wish. Duties A Knight of the Order is expected to keep the King's Peace, and may be called up to serve as part of House Dayne's honour guard or to serve a time as warden of the Starfall crypts. Otherwise, they can be found all throughout the Torrentine, and some even venture further afield in search of honourable deeds. The core philosophy of the Order is a firm belief in the good hearts of men - a Knight of the Order is expected to be honourable and true, and do his best to help his fellow man, regardless of their stature or culture. A Knight of the Order is not prohibited from taking a wife and having children, as many do, but they rotate postings on an eight-moon basis and as such many find it too expensive to bring wife and child with them. Appearance A Knight of the Order is usually identified by his purple cloak and tabard, or a golden cloak and tabard in the case of a Knight of Stars. An easy way to identify a Knight of the Order is to check his sword-arm, for upon initiation a knight will have a golden sword and star branded upon their strongarm. A Knight-Captain will usually have a plumed helm, and a Knight-Errant will have a winged helm. The Knight-Commander will have golden wings upon his helm. A member of House Dayne who serves in the Order will have the sword and star on the forefront of his helm. Structure The Order is led by a Knight-Commander, who has supreme command over the Order and is responsible for their command and their growth. The Knight-Commander is assisted by a small number of Knight-Errants, who serve as his right-hand men and are given lieu to speak in his stead. Traditionally, there are three Knight-Errants, though in times of strife a Knight-Commander may appoint several more: * The Knight-Errant of the Trial ** Chief responsibilities are the personal assessment of a potential addition, as well as checking on the older knights if they are capable to fight. If the Knight-Errant deems them unfit to serve, they will be discharged and given a small pension. * The Knight-Errant of the Journey ** Chief responsibilities being administration and logistics, the Knight-Errant is often more of a coinmaster than a swordsman. This Knight-Errant has jurisdiction over funding and maintenance, and will often be seen liaising with Starfall's castellan. * The Knight-Errant of the Victory ** Chief responsibilities are warfare and strategy, as well as overseeing the protection of House Dayne. This position is often given to the finest swordsman in the Order, though it may be given to one whose tactical ability proves greater than the Knight-Commander. To claim the Knight-Errant position, the prospective Knight must beat the Knight-Commander in both a duel and a game of Cyvasse. Beneath these three, there are countless Knight-Captains, who will often lead teams of no more than seven of their comrades. Under them are the common Knights of the Order, all exceptional swordsmen or capable tacticians. Knight of Stars A Knight of Stars is a member of the Order who is part of House Dayne's household guard, and will often spend their entire life in that position. They are permitted to wear golden cloaks instead of the traditional purple and have exclusive housing rights within the Palestone Tower with their charges, but are often expected not to marry or have children, though this is not enforced and it is not unheard of for a married knight to join their ranks. Notable Members / Former Members * Vorian Dayne, the nephew of King Maric II Dayne. * Damon Darkstar served for three years before leaving for Essos to found The Bloody Blades. * Beric Durrandon spent fifteen years as Knight-Errant after the death of Ashara I Dayne. Category:House Dayne Category:Dorne Category:Organisations Category:Knightly Order